MRS.
LAWN
(offended)
Monsieur
Philippe is blaming me
for
all the awful sicknesses he
has
developed while living in this
country!
It offends our sense of
justice.
He has gone so far as to
ask
me to pay for his medical
bills!

CUT
TO:

EXT.
IN FRONT OF MRS. LAWN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

MONSIEUR
PHILIPPE, a 55-year-old man, tries in vain to open
the
front door. He steps back and screams out at the windows.

ALBERT
(V.O.)
If
you locked him outside on a
winter
day, you must assume the
responsibility.
You were lucky he
didn't
get pneumonia.

It
snows. The windows are closed.

MRS.
LAWN (V.O.)
That
man is not suited for our
weather
conditions.

Monsieur
Philippe coughs.

BACK
TO SCENE:

EXT.
SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE TERRACE. DAY

MRS.
LAWN
(to
Tracy)
I
have never left a creature
outside
my house in 35 years of
work.

GABRIELLE
Henry
Purcell, one of my most dear
composers,
was never locked out of
his
house until he was 35. One
week
later, he died.

Ricardo,
Gabrielle, and Zayed drink glasses of water. Zayed
peruses
pictures of people at the party.

He
stares at the picture of Mrs. Lawn.

ZAYED
Kim
Lawn. She came from Birmingham
in
the early 50s. Her husband died
of
a heart attack last year. A pro-life
activist during her free
time, she owns and manages a bed
& breakfast.

Zayed
stares at a picture of Petra.

ZAYED
(continuing)
Petra
Schreiber. Born in Austria,
she
came to England shortly after
the
second world war. Her parents
died
in a car accident. Ph.D. in
composition
from Oxford, she used
to work as a
violin
teacher--she was, as a
matter
of fact, the music tutor of
the
Baltimore girls. Now she works
as
a pro-choice activist.

GABRIELLE
You
told us something about their
lack
of closeness, didn't you?

ZAYED
Sibling
rivalry. They were always
getting
involved in each other's
business.
Sara used to complain
about
the parties Mr. Baltimore
was
throwing for her sister in
Manchester.
Fifty thousand pounds
per
party--used to say Sara over
and
over.

GABRIELLE
(to
Ricardo)
Don't
you remember the day Tracy
visited
us in France?

RICARDO
Her
first question was about
Sara's
monthly allowance.

ZAYED
Family
tensions are commonplace.
(pause)
Do
you want to prove her innocence?

RICARDO
I
have reasons to suspect she was
murdered.

ZAYED
(skeptical)
I'm
afraid to tell you that I
agree
with the official report.
According
to her medical records,
Sara
had a history of depression.
The
fact that she chose her
sister's
wedding day to commit
suicide
does not surprise me at
all.
Did you read her suicide note?

RICARDO
Yes.
I took it out from her hand.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

The
Mercedes is smashed against the wall. Groups of people
look
at the scene--which is cordoned off with plastic.

An
ambulance awaits the victims. Two nurses place Hernán,
unconscious,
inside. Gabrielle looks at Hernán's hand: he
grasps
a can of beer.

Ricardo
and Gabrielle look at them from the stands--two
colorful
spots among hundreds of chairs.

Both
share a plate of fries.

25-year-old
goalkeeper DAVID BOGLE catches a difficult shot
under
the goalpost.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
OLD TRAFFORD STADIUM. DAY

Ricardo,
Gabrielle, and Bogle walk along the green, desolated
field.

BOGLE
I
don't like to gossip about
people's
private lives, Mister..

Bogle
reads a printed card he holds in his hands.

BOGLE
(continuing)
Saint-André...
Ricardo Saint-André.

RICARDO
You
can call me Ricardo.

BOGLE
(to
Gabrielle,
smiling)
Are
you French or Spanish?

RICARDO
I'm
from Bolivia, but my last name
is
French.

BOGLE
My
wife is from South America as
Well--from
Peru.

GABRIELLE
(cold)
She
has to be from somewhere.

BOGLE
Sara...
She was one of our
best
friends. She and my wife used
to
talk about politics. South
America
is a corrupt continent--
you
know it. Peasants are still
struggling
against feudalism. Have
you
visited Macchu Picchu?

RICARDO
Not
yet. Peru is far from Bogotá.

BOGLE
Yes.
There's a considerable
distance
between all South
American
countries... Anyway;
Hernán
and Sara wanted to go with
us
to the Incan city. We are
peers.
Players don't always get
along
with their coach. There are
factions.
One needs to rely on
someone
else...

GABRIELLE
As
in war.

BOGLE
You
understand my point.
(beat)
I
pray for Hernán... His head was
smashed
against a window.

Bogle
grasps his head with his hands.

BOGLE
(continuing)
God!

RICARDO
His
brain, nonetheless, is intact.
The
police believe he was confused
by
the sight of his girlfriend
hanging
from a tree.

BOGLE
Lies!

RICARDO
I
see we both agree on one point,
Mr.
Bogle.

BOGLE
Beware
the Baltimore family,
Mister.
They own half of this city.
(beat)
You
should meet my wife.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
ROAD BEFORE SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

Ricardo,
standing on the road, looks at Sir Weyden's house.
He
notices Tracy, who comes out of the house and stops
beneath
the tree where Sara died.

Tracy
peruses the ground. She sobs and kneels.

Sound
of airplane. She turns around. Ricardo walks away,
along
the opposite side of the road, towards a parked taxi.

He
notices a field to his right. He stops and looks around.

He
discovers a landing strip. A small airplane lands. Sir
Weyden
gets off the airplane. Frank, driving a Rolls,
approaches
to pick up Sir Weyden.

CUT
TO:

INT.
TAXI. DAY

Ricardo
and Gabrielle talk while the taxi moves along the
city.

RICARDO
Have
you realized how kindly all
the
suspects look at us?

GABRIELLE
A
cultural trait, Tico. British
politeness.

RICARDO
Do
you suspect Tracy?

GABRIELLE
Five
years can make a murderer out
of
a thief.

RICARDO
I
disagree.
(pause)
Did
Sara tell you something
important?
I mean, before she
stopped
answering to your messages.

GABRIELLE
She
was pregnant.
(Ricardo
looks
surprised
at her)
Obviously
she had a miscarriage.

RACHEL
(defensive)
I'm
afraid I won't be able to
answer
to your questions.

GABRIELLE
You
are misinterpreting our
intentions,
Mrs. Newton. We would
like
to rent a house... Nearby.

RACHEL
All
our properties are about nine
hundred
pounds per month.

GABRIELLE
That
sounds reasonable to us.

RACHEL
(smiling,
to Ricardo)
This
is not the best way to gain
my
trust, Sir.

Ricardo
and Gabrielle stand up.

RICARDO
We
apologize for the
inconvenience,
. Good bye.

They
step away. Rachel follows them.

RACHEL
Mister
Saint-André...

Ricardo
turns around.

RACHEL
(continuing)
How
many rooms are you looking for?

CUT
TO:

EXT.
SAINT-ANDRÉ'S APARTMENT. DAY

Rachel,
Ricardo, and Gabrielle stand on a terrace. The
terrace
overlooks a wide open garden.

RACHEL
Two
bathrooms and a full kitchen.

GABRIELLE
(to
Rachel)
We'll
sign the lease tomorrow
morning.

RACHEL
When
do you plan to move?

GABRIELLE
By
the end of this week.

RACHEL
(remorseful)
I
owe you an apology for my
behavior
this morning.

RICARDO
Never
mind.

GABRIELLE
We
understand. I wonder whether
you
are willing to answer to our
questions, Mrs. Newton.

RACHEL
Well…
Of course…

Rachel
looks up to a window, just above the terrace.

RACHEL
(continuing)
Would
you like to go for a walk?
There
is a beautiful garden, not
far
from here.

Behind
the window on the second floor, we see the silhouette
of
FRED, a 75-year-old bony man. He watches Ricardo,
Gabrielle,
and Rachel as they walk away.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
CHESHIRE'S GARDEN. DAY

Gabrielle,
Rachel, and Ricardo walk over to an immense garden.

RACHEL
(smiling)
I
got divorced when Mr. Baltimore
decided
to send us to Egypt. That
was
in 1978. I remember the exact
date.
The World Cup was taking
place
in Argentina at the same
time.

GABRIELLE
Did
you tour the Nile River?

RACHEL
With
Tracy, Sara, and the former
Mrs.
Baltimore. It was, on the
whole,
a stupendous experience.

GABRIELLE
Particularly
for the children I
bet.
Do you remember anything out
of
the ordinary that happened at
that
time?

RACHEL
No...
That was twenty-two years
ago.

An
airplane approaches, flying in the sky. Rachel waves her
hand.

RACHEL
(continuing)
That's
Sir Weyden on his way back
home.

GABRIELLE
From
where?

RACHEL
From...
I don't know. There are
many
landing strips in England.
(beat)
He
was, and I think he still is,
a
reserve pilot of your Majesty's
air
force.

RICARDO
Not
mine, please. How often does he
fly?

RACHEL
(upset)
Two
or three times per week.

A
mobile phone rings. Gabrielle takes it out of her jacket.

RICARDO
Very
impressive.

RACHEL
Nowadays
almost everyone owns an
airplane,
Sir.

GABRIELLE
Hello?...
(smiling)
Albert?

Gabrielle
steps aside.

RACHEL
(beat;
whispering)
To
be sincere, Sir Weyden had
predisposed
me, somehow, against
you
both.

Ricardo
raises his eyebrows.

RACHEL
(continuing)
He
called me this morning.

RICARDO
Why
are you being so discrete?

RACHEL
(suddenly
blunt)
You
both are detectives, Sir.
You
deal with criminals. Now, if
you
excuse me, the police
report
was correct. Poor Sara
committed
suicide. All your
inquiries,
therefore, are not only
meaningless,
but disturbing--even
offensive.
We fear you will be a
cause
of distress for the
Baltimore
family, in particular
for
Tracy.

RICARDO
Tracy?
Oh, yes. We talked to her
yesterday
morning. I clearly see
you
and Sir Weyden are mistaken
about
our intentions, Mrs. Newton.

RACHEL
You
should get busy with a
more
proper endeavour.

Ricardo
raises his eyebrows.

RICARDO
How
is Monsieur Philippe?

RACHEL
Pardon
me?

RICARDO
Monsieur
Philippe. You were saying
something
about him when we step
into
your office. 'Bloody frog'
was
your expression.

GABRIELLE
(V.O.)
Mr.
Perry became an outcast. He
lost
his wife and developed a
bitter
feeling against men and
women.
He became one of the
founders
of a conspicuous British
pro-choice
society; «Eleutheria.»

Tracy
looks at the river. Former Mrs. Baltimore approaches.
She
looks at the water. She gazes at Tracy's empty face.

GABRIELLE
(V.O.)
(continuing)
On
the other hand, the former Mrs.
Baltimore
died suspecting that
Tracy
pushed Sara into the water.

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
TAXI. NIGHT

RICARDO
We
should keep an eye on her.

GABRIELLE
I'm
convinced, though, that Mrs.
Newton's
reluctance to speak about
this
incident is mainly due to her
nationalistic
attitude. She ranks
any
British citizen -right or
wrong-,
above the rest of the
world.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
ALTRINCHAM'S STREET. DAY

Ricardo
walks along the street, checking house addresses. He
stops
in front of a small building. There is a golden plaque
on
the wall.

INSERT:

GOLDEN
PLATE
«Wagnall's
Consultant Company»

BACK
TO SCENE:

Ricardo
enters the house.

CUT
TO:

INT.
PERRY'S OFFICE. DAY

Perry
types a document on his computer. Ricardo enters. Perry
looks
up at him and continues typing.

PERRY
Mister
Saint-André. Please, take
a
seat.

Ricardo
sits down. He looks around the office: it is crowded
with
portraits, statues, and photographs of cats. A white cat
lies
on the floor. Ricardo looks at a bookshelf nearby.

RICARDO
Do
you like dogs?

PERRY
(laughing)
I
find them a little bit dumb. I
pity
cats, in spite of their self-
sufficiency.
They are my family,
as
you can see.

RICARDO
How
so?

Ricardo
notices a shelf stocked with copies of the same book:
«New
Arabian Nights,» by Robert Louis Stevenson.

PERRY
Human
beings are cruel, Mister.
When
I was thirty-three my wife
left
me. From that moment on I
started
taking in strays.

He
raises the white cat to his desk. The cat purrs. Ricardo
thumbs
the book.

PERRY
(continuing)
I'm
glad to be the savior of
twenty-one
creatures. Once I
became
the manager of this
company,
I was allowed to bring
Jigs
to work.
(tender,
to the cat)
You,
little one!

RICARDO
Who
allowed it?

PERRY
Excuse
me?

RICARDO
Who
allowed you to bring Jigs to
your
office?

Ricardo
finds in the book a cut of a newspaper sheet. On it
there
is a photograph of a young girl. The title: «Teenager
drowns
her baby in a bathtub.» Ricardo shelves the book back.

PERRY
Oh!
The board of directors. Mr.
Baltimore,
the president, to be
specific.
He is a noble man.

RICARDO
Of
course. A noble man.

PERRY
I've
known his family for many
years.
I work sometimes as their
accountant
and financial
consultant.
(beat)
Poor
Sara! What a tragedy she has
caused
to her family.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
You
have a good collection of
Robert
Louis Stevenson's books.

PERRY
(V.O.)
From
my childhood... yes.

BACK
TO SCENE:

RICARDO
I
really like «The Suicide Club»,
one
of his best short stories.
Have
you read it?

Perry
looks stern at him. Ricardo returns the book to its
shelf.

PERRY
I
prefer «Treasure Island.»

RICARDO
A
well-known tale. Do you remember
Doctor
Knox?

PERRY
(smiling)
Knox?
My best friend and my worst
enemy.

RICARDO
How
so?

PERRY
(with
uncanny good
humor)
He
saved my life once--in a river.
But
then he seduced my wife.

RICARDO
Do
you hate Rachel?

PERRY
Rachel?
Not at all. Knox left her
three
months later. (smiling)My only
hate is for Doctor Knox.

RICARDO
I
see you enjoy his fall. Do you really
think he's guilty?

PERRY
Of
course he is. Knox was a
seducer.
He used to date his
youngest
students.
(laugh)
And
also the richest. He had though he
could
play the saint and the
villain
all his life.

RICARDO
What
do you know about Monsieur
Philippe?

PERRY
Oh!
He's back in France, I
believe.
A very efficient man. I
asked
him to continue working with
us,
at least until December. But
he
just disappeared.
(pause.
Ricardo's
sigh
is void)
Is
he the subject of your
investigation,
Sir?

RICARDO
Do
you have his contact number in
France?

Perry
searches among the documents on his desk.

PERRY
No,
I'm afraid. He was alone. I
received
a resignation letter from
him,
though. It should be over
here.

Perry
reads the letter.

PERRY
(continuing;
reading)
«I
was offered a new post in a hospital.
I'll
contact you later
to
instruct you about my last
payment.
Best wishes, Philippe».

Ricardo
takes another letter from Perry's desk.

PERRY
(continuing)
Oh,
that's something else.

RICARDO
It
is signed by Mrs. Lawn.

PERRY
A
most charming lady.

RICARDO
Would
you be so kind as to make a
copy
of this document for me?

PERRY
(hesitating)
Sure.
Why not?

As
Perry photocopies it, Ricardo looks at the cat.

RICARDO
Do
you know, Sir, what did
Julius
Caesar say about men who
love
cats?

PERRY
You
tell us.

Perry
hands the photocopy to Ricardo.

RICARDO
He
said that such tender
affections
should be granted to
children
rather than to animals.

Perry
blushes.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
MANCHESTER STREET. DAY

Gabrielle
walks down the street. She stops in front of a
store
and reads a newspaper: «Baltimores Petrol Co. signs
drilling
agreement with the Bolivian government.» Beneath the
headline
is a picture of Mr. Baltimore shaking hands with a
Bolivian
POLITICIAN.

TRACY
(O.S.)
My
father has secured his fortune
for
another 50 years.

Gabrielle
turns around and meets Tracy, still dressed in
mourning.

GABRIELLE
Tracy!
What a coincidence!

TRACY
I
need to speak to you.

CUT
TO:

INT.
MANCHESTER'S PUB. DAY

In
an empty pub, Tracy and Gabrielle drink orange juice.
Tracy
wears a necklace. A huge diamond hangs from it.

TRACY
You
have reason to suspect me. I
was,
after all, the person who
stole
my mother's diamond.

GABRIELLE
That
was a family quarrel.

TRACY
My
sister was unfairly blamed. You
may
think I hated her. But you are
wrong.
I loved her. Have you asked
yourself
why I did it?

TRACY
(continuing)
Thank
you... When my mother died,
Sara
was with you in Oporto.

CUT
TO:

INT.
HOSPITAL ROOM. NIGHT

Seated
next to a hospital bed, Tracy cries over the dead body
of
former Mrs. Baltimore. A NURSE and a DOCTOR look at her.
Their
faces are blank.

TRACY
(V.O.)
I
had to take care of my mother
during
her final days. Alone. My
father,
instead of being with us,
was
in Florida, frolicking with
that
bitch. I called him everyday.
«Nevermind!
The Doctors will take
care
of your Mother!»--that was his
reply.

Ricardo
and Whitney exchange smiles. Whitney hands over her
envelope
to Mrs. Lawn.

Ricardo
looks suspiciously at the envelope.

WHITNEY
I
should go.

She
leaves. Mrs. Lawn writes an address on a piece of paper.

RICARDO
Your
house is beautiful, Mrs. Lawn, and
well-preserved.

MRS.
LAWN
Thank
you. The mortgage rate has
increased
outrageously during the
last
two years. We try to do our
best.

RICARDO
We?
I thought you live alone,
Madame.

MRS.
LAWN
I’m
soul and body, Monsieur.

RICARDO
Of
course… I have here a note you
wrote
to Wagnall's consultant
company,
three weeks ago.

Mrs.
Lawn stops writing. She looks upset at Ricardo.

MRS.
LAWN
You
have already been to
Wagnall's.
You don't need their
address
then.

RICARDO
(playing
the fool)
Did
you say Wagnall's? Excuse me.
My
mind gets very confused.
Anyway,
on this note, you
acknowledge
that Fox Lawn has
never
been, and will never be, a
BUSINESS
hotel, but a family house.

MRS.
LAWN
(upset)
That
was just an expression. But
congratulations.
You have caught
me
in my mistake. How else can I
help
you, Monsieur?

RICARDO
I
understand you are a pro-life
activist,
Mrs. Lawn.

MRS.
LAWN
And
I will continue to, till I
die.

RICARDO
Were
you aware that Sara Baltimore
and
her stepmother were pro-choice
activists?

MRS.
LAWN
Pro-murder,
Monsieur, pro-murder.
What
are you trying to prove? Do
you
suspect I poisoned her and
hang
her carcass from a tree? Do
you
deem me capable of killing
someone?
My main interest are the living.

Ricardo
stands up.

RICARDO
Of
course! Nobody murders for the
interests
of death. Thanks for the
cookies.

MRS.
LAWN
I
baked them myself.

RICARDO
They
were excellent.

MRS. LAWNI could
have poisoned you.

RICARDOI always
take my own precautions. Now, excuse
me, I must go to the
hospital.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
NORTH WALES HOTEL. DAY

A
taxi arrives in front of the hotel. Gabrielle gets out of
the
car and walks toward the hotel. She stops and looks
up.

On
the top of a hill, she sees a bungalow.

CUT
TO:

INT.
NORTH WALES HOTEL RECEPTION. DAY

Gabrielle
approaches the RECEPTIONIST.

RECEPTIONIST
Good
afternoon. How may I help you?

GABRIELLE
I
talked to you on the phone this
morning,
I believe.

RECEPTIONIST
Mrs.
Saint-André?

Gabrielle
smiles.

RECEPTIONIST
(continuing)
Let's
see.

She
reads a document.

RECEPTIONIST
(continuing;
smiling)
I
will show you Sir and Lady
Weyden's
wedding room. Follow me,
please.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
NORTH WALES HOTEL BUNGALOW. DAY

The
receptionist drives a golf car. Gabrielle, seated besides
her,
observes the open grass field surrounding them. Far away
she
sees some bushes and trees.

They
approach the bungalow, on the edge of the field.

RECEPTIONIST
I
saw them at the reception about eight
pm. A member of
our
staff brought them up here.

The
car stops. Gabrielle gets out.

GABRIELLE
An
open, quiet space, with no
neighbors
around. It may well be
a
golf course.

RECEPTIONIST
It
used to be.

She
goes to the terrace of the bungalow, from where she can
see
the hotel reception area.

GABRIELLE
Would
it be possible for them to
leave
the hotel without you
noticing
it?

RECEPTIONIST
Impossible.
We monitor all our Entrances
with
video cameras.

CUT
TO:

INT.
HOSPITAL ROOM. NIGHT

Hernán
lies in bed. His head is bandaged.

Ricardo
enters, guided by Inspector Zayed. They meet the
Nurse.

NURSE
Only
a few minutes, inspector.

The
Nurse leaves and closes the door. Ricardo looks at
Hernán:
his blood-shot eyes stare back at him.

RICARDO
Do
you like children?

HERNAN
No,
I don't. Why are you asking?

RICARDO
I
have reasons to believe Sara
wanted
to have a child.

RICARDO
(continuing)
She
wanted many things I couldn't
give
her.

Hernán
sobs.

RICARDO
(continuing)
We
are glad to know you will be
well
by the end of this week, just
in
time to get ready for the
National
Championship.

HERNAN
I
should have died, instead.

Ricardo
looks at Zayed.

ZAYED
(to
Hernán)
What
do you remember?

HERNAN
I
asked Sara not to join the
wedding
party. It was not
comfortable
for me at all. Mr. and
Mrs.
Baltimore dislike me.

RICARDO
We
haven't been able to understand
how
Sara died. You were with her,
weren't
you?

HERNAN
We
went to a pub. We had an
argument
about our future plans.
Harvard
University offered her a
scholarship...

EXT.
ROAD IN FRONT OF SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

A
Mercedes parks in front of the house. Hernán, visibly
upset,
gets out of the car and opens Sara's door.

Sara
gets out.

HERNAN
We
still can settle our differences. Why
don't
we go to my apartment?

SARA
I
promised my father and Petra not
to
leave them alone tonight.

HERNAN
Fine.

Sara
walks towards the house. She disappears into the
shadows.
Hernán gets into the car. He starts and drives away.

HERNAN
(O.S.)
We
loved each other. But she
longed
for independence.

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
HOSPITAL ROOM. NIGHT

RICARDO
Why
didn't you support her?
Harvard
is a prestigious
university.

HERNAN
I
couldn't have lived alone.

Pause.
Hernán sobs.

RICARDO
At
what time did you drop Sara off
at
home?

HERNAN
(in
control)
At
about eight-forty.

ZAYED
And
you crashed into the wall
about
ten to nine.

CUT
TO:

INT.
HERNAN'S CAR. NIGHT

Hernán
drives swiftly on the road.

HERNAN
(O.S.)
I
drank a beer on my way back
home;
then I thought once more,
well,
we must sort out our
differences.
So, I returned to Sir
Weyden's
house...

CUT
TO:

EXT.
SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

Hernán
drives his car impetuously up to the house. He slows
down
in front of the main door.

HERNAN
(O.S.)
I
wasn't sure whether the party
was
still going on or not. I saw
the
Baltimores arguing inside of
the
house.

He
looks at the window. He sees Petra slapping Mr. Baltimore
in
the face.

HERNAN
(O.S.)
(continuing)
I
was anxious.

Hernán
turns on the lights inside the car. He picks up a box
of
cigarettes.

INSERT:

Hernán's
foot rests between the brake and the accelerator.

BACK
TO SCENE:

HERNAN
(O.S.)
Then
I saw her...

Hernán
looks left. He sees Sara, hanging from the
tree,
grasping her hands around her neck, kicking in the air.

Hernán
screams.

Hernán's
foot steps on the accelerator. The car crashes into
the
wall.

HERNAN
(O.S.)
(continuing)
I
wanted to step on the brake. But
I
couldn't. I couldn't!

WOMAN
2
Even
so, you are more than welcome
to
spend this evening with us.

GABRIELLE
Thanks.
I hope I'm not intruding.

WOMAN
2
By
no means.

GABRIELLE
I
should have waited till
tomorrow,
but I wasn't able to
bear
it anymore.

Tracy
appears with a pregnancy test set.

TRACY
(smiling)
Now,
would you like to help me?

Gabrielle
looks at her hands.

PETRA
Tracy!
By God! What are you doing?

TRACY
Trying
to help Gabrielle.

PETRA
This
is not a hospital.
(smiling, to
Gabrielle)
You
can come back tomorrow morning.
Now you should rest.

GABRIELLE
Thank
you.

Gabrielle
sits down on the nearest chair. Tracy looks at
Petra.

Tracy
leaves. Woman 2 introduces Woman 1 to Gabrielle.

Rachel
approaches Petra.

RACHEL
I'm
suspicious of uninvited guestsas well.

PETRA
Her
husband visited us
this
evening. A waste of time, of
course.
But I got his point. He is
a
catholic, conservative,
stubborn,
and incorruptible silly
man.

She
looks back at Gabrielle--who looks at her.

CUT
TO:

INT.
ELEUTHERIA'S MAIN OFFICE. NIGHT

Ricardo
finishes perusing the last drawer of the last
cabinet.
He sits down in front of one of the desks. His eyes
rest
on a sheet of paper.

INSERT:

A
sheet of paper, where several people have written «don't
blame
anybody» and signed next to it.

BACK
TO SCENE:

An
object catches Ricardo's attention. He outstretches his
hand
and takes a photo of:

INSERT:

Monsieur
Philippe in a Doctor's suite.

Sound
of steps in the corridor. Ricardo reacts and turns off
the
light. He takes the sheet of paper and hides behind the
curtain.

The
door opens. Perry enters and closes the door behind him.
He
turns on the lights and looks at the cabinets. He then
approaches
a bookshelf and turns it around--it's, in fact, a
secret
door. He enters and closes the door behind him.

RICARDO
Everybody
in this town knows Sara
Baltimore
and Doctor Philippe
didn't
commit suicide. You may
have
strong reasons to protect the
murderer.
I don't have any. Can
you,
then, be so kind, Sir,
as
to provide me with a reason?

PERRY
Only
if you promise
me
not to involve me in your
investigation.
I cannot afford togo to
prison. My cats need me.

Ricardo
remains defiant, pointing the gun at Perry.

RICARDO
I
hardly know you, Sir. And you
are
already involved.

PERRY
We
are not murderers. We respect
women's
choice. But Doctor
Philippe
betrayed us. He was
selling
human organs for research.
We
proved he killed some babies to
keep
on his business. You see, we
wanted
Sara's baby alive...

RICARDO
We?

PERRY
Mr.
Baltimore and his family.

RICARDO
Who
killed Dr. Philippe, then?

Ricardo
triggers the gun.

CUT
TO:

INT.
ELEUTHERIA'S MAIN OFFICE. NIGHT

Cards
are shuffled in a dark room. They are distributed, face
down,
over a rounded table. We only see the hands of about 12
people.

PERRY
(V.O.)
I
don't know! It was a lottery, do
you
understand? Whoever got the
ace
of diamonds--he should be the
killer.
We swore never to talk
again
about this issue.

RICARDOAs in
Stevenson's story.

PERRYYou
understand me…

The
cards are overturn in secret. Different figures appear.
The
hand of a man overturns the ace of diamonds.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
So,
whoever was selected--he or
she
betrayed Eleutheria.

SIR
WEYDEN
Ladies
and gentlemen, as the
president
of the Cheshire Club,
I'm
delighted to welcome back our
most
valuable player, Hernán Sousa.

Sir
Weyden claps. People do the same. Hernán finds his way up
to
the podium among the ovations and screams of the guests.

Ricardo
stands before the entrance of the hall. Zayed looks
at
Ricardo.

ZAYED
Can
we proceed?

RICARDO
If
that's fine with you.

ZAYED
I
rely on you.

They
walk towards the podium. Hernán motions to the audience
to
quiet down.

HERNAN
I
want, first of all, to thank Sir
and
Lady Weyden for their trust.
I
hope my skills as a football
player
will match their generosity
and
kindness.

Guests
clap. Ricardo and Zayed come up to the podium.

Sir
Weyden looks at them with surprise.

HERNAN
(continuing)
Our
lives have been shaken by a
tragedy.
But it is our
responsibility
to recover our
trust
in life. It is...

He
looks at Ricardo, who stands by his side. Ricardo smiles
and
takes the microphone.

RICARDO
Thanks
to Hernán Sousa!

People
scream and clap. Hernán steps aside. He looks dazzled
at
Sir Weyden.

SIR
WEYDEN
What
the hell is going on?

Zayed
flashes his ID.

ZAYED
Scotland
Yard.

SIR
WEYDEN
You
are making a serious mistake,
Inspector.

Ricardo
motions to the audience to remain calm.

Albert
looks at Gabrielle.

ALBERT
(nervous)
Good
evening.

Gabrielle
walks towards the podium. Albert follows her.

RICARDO
We
would like briefly to discuss
the
mystery of Miss Sara
Baltimore's
death.

People
become silent. Mr. Baltimore looks at the main door--a
policeman
stands up.

Ricardo
takes out his notebook from his pocket, looks at Mr.
Baltimore
and steps down towards him.

RICARDO
(continuing)
This
community has been devastated
by
the recent capture of Doctor
Knox,
who, according to the latest
reports,
murdered 89 men and women
during
the last 25 years... Whether
he
is guilty or not, he was not
working
alone...

CUT
TO:

INT.
MR. BALTIMORE'S HOUSE. NIGHT

FLASHBACK
OF SCENE 46.

RICARDO
(to
Mr. Baltimore)
Did
you meet him?

MR.
BALTIMORE
Oh,
yes. I was even one of his
patients.

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
SPORTS CENTER. NIGHT

Ricardo
faces Mr. Baltimore.

RICARDO
Tycoons
are circumspect. They
frequently
dislike doctors and
dentists.
They know their fortune
is
a constant threat over their
heads,
and, more than anyone else,
they
know how vulnerable they can
be in the hands of
physicians.

He
looks at Mr. Baltimore, who looks defiantly at him.

RICARDO
(continuing)
May
I ask you, Sir, who
recommended
Doctor Knox to
you?

MR.
BALTIMORE
I
won't answer any of your
questions,
Ricardo.

RICARDO
As
I expected.

Ricardo
walks towards Tracy.

RICARDO
(continuing)
You
are obviously protecting
someone.
A relative? Perhaps your
dearest
daughter, Lady Weyden, who
dated
Doctor Knox for five years,
while
studying at the University
of
Manchester.

Whispers
among the crowd. Ricardo faces Tracy.

RICARDO
(continuing)
Didn't
you?

CUT
TO:

INT.
PERRY'S OFFICE. DAY

PERRY
Of
course he is. Knox was a
seducer.
He used to date his
youngest
students.
(laugh)
And
also the richest...

BACK
TO SCENE:

TRACY
Yes,
I did.

Whispers
and exclamations.

MR.
BALTIMORE
Are
you accusing Lady Weyden of
murder,
Sir?

RICARDO
I
claim the innocence of Doctor
Knox.

PETRA
By
heavens! Would you defend a
serial
killer?

GUESTS
Yes!--He's!--A
scum!--He killed my
mother-in-law!--Obnoxious!

RICARDO
(loud)
People
die sooner or later!

Silence.

RICARDO
(continuing)
We
have only a piece of evidence.
A
syringe filled with poison found
in
Doctor Knox's pocket. Should we
blame
Doctor Knox, then, for the
death
of 89 patients---men and
women
who visited his office once
in
their lives?
(pause)
Reporters
have been speculating
about
his preference for elderly
victims.
Indeed, the average age
of
Doctor Knox's dead patients is
81.
(pause)
The
syringe in his pocket was
put
there by someone else...

PERRY
I
work sometimes as their
accountant
and financial
consultant.
(beat)
Poor
Sara!

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
SPORTS CENTER. NIGHT

RICARDO
Why
poor? I wonder. Why only that
one
adjective to describe Sara--
there
are, after all, hundreds,
nay,
thousands of words to
describe
a friend.
(pause)
I
inferred that Mr. Baltimore, Mr. Perry,
Tracy,
Rachel and Sir Weyden were
all
members of a close community
--a
guilt or society
that
shared the key of Sara's
mysterious
death.

Ricardo
walks towards Gabrielle.

RICARDO
(continuing)
A
weak suspicion. Expressions,
withal,
come and go, from mouth to
mouth.
(pause)
It
was my wife who finally
discovered
the link with a
community
eager to accept
newcomers,
stigmatizing them with
such
a word.

CUT
TO:

INT.
ELEUTHERIA'S HEAD QUARTERS. NIGHT

WOMAN
1
You,
and only you, own the life of
that
child. What's your name again?

GABRIELLE
Gabrielle.

WOMAN
1
Poor
Gabrielle!

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
SPORTS CENTER. NIGHT

Ricardo
looks at Gabrielle.

MR.
BALTIMOREThis is preposterous! Gabrielle looks at Mr. Baltimore.

GABRIELLE
What
do you know about Eleutheria, Mister Baltimore?

MR. BALTIMOREWhat
everyone knows, little lady.

GABRIELLE
Would you
agree with me if
I say
that it is a group of men
and women
struggling
for the freedom of miserable
women?
Women bearing unwanted
children--women
like Sara
Baltimore.

Whispers
among the audience.

HERNAN
(nervous)
She
couldn't! She would have told
me...

GABRIELLE
But
she didn’t. She wasn't
sure
whether to bear your child or
not.
Your main priority in your
life,
Hernan, has been—and still is,
Football.
(pause)
Sara
wasn't sure of your love, of
her
life, of her career. She loved
you,
of course. Otherwise she wouldn't
have
looked for advice amongst so
many
people: her father, her
sister,
Mrs. Newton… In other words, Eleutheria. Ah! And Doctor
Knox--who was,
after
all, an old fiend of her
family.

Hernán
looks defiantly at her. Sir Weyden stands up.

MR.
BALTIMORE
You
are jeopardizing my family's
reputation,
little lady. I won't allow
you
to continue with this farce.
( to
Zayed)
This
is not the way Scotland Yard handles
business
in this country.

PETRA
Only
the truth can redeem us, Ralph.

Mr.
Baltimore looks at the cold faces of the guests. He reluctantly sits down.

GABRIELLE
(continuing)
All
the members of Eleutheria
supported
Sara's abortion. But
Sara
was afraid to murder a child.
Her
doubts continued for five,
six,
seven weeks. Time went on,
and
then, someone thought, it may
be
too late.

Petra
locks the door of his office. They continue talking
under
Gabrielle's voice over.

GABRIELLE
(V.O.)
His
real name was Monsieur Dupin,
notorious
abortionist, banned from
French
Hospitals in 1995. In order
to
keep up appearances, Mr. Perry--
Mr.
Baltimore's faithful employee,
hired
Doctor Philippe as a
consultant.

GABRIELLE
...where
Doctor Philippe attended
her.
He was there during the
abortion
or should I say the
miscarriage?
(beat)
Sara
went to the police for help--
she
really believed that her child
had
been a victim of manslaughter.
But
the case was closed shortly
after.

RICARDO
He
murdered him to sell his organs
to
a pharmaceutical company! I
cannot
prove it, Mrs. Newton! What I can
prove
is that your society--
Eleutheria,
judged and imposed a
death
sentence on Doctor Philippe.
An
act of justice--yes! But still an act
against
the law.

CUT
TO:

INT.
ELEUTHERIA'S MAIN OFFICE. NIGHT

Cards
are shuffled in a dark room. They are distributed, face
down,
over a round table. We only see the hands of about 12
people.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
And
the executioner, whoever he
was,
was secretly chosen--playing
a
lottery...

PETRA
(V.O.)
Nonsense!

RICARDO
(V.O.)
They
follow one of Stevenson's
dimmest
ideas. A deck of cards is
shuffled
and handed out in secret.
Whoever
gets the ace of diamonds,
he
or she...

The
cards are overturned in secret. Different figures appear.
The
hand of a man overturns the ace of diamonds.

CUT
TO:

INT.
CHEAP HOTEL BEDROOM IN SALFORD. DAY

P.O.V
of Doctor Philippe's murderer. Doctor Philippe, seated
by
the window, talks and smiles. He stands up and serves a
drink.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
...must
murder Doctor Philippe.
Who
was the murderer, then? Mrs.
Petra
Baltimore? Or perhaps Mr.
Perry?
A murderer so cunning as to
use
this hideous secret to his own
advantage.

The
hands of the murderer--covered by gloves, approach him
with
a lace. The lace is quickly placed around Doctor
Philippe's
neck. He is strangled.

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
SPORTS CENTER. NIGHT

RICARDO
My
theory also explains why
all
the members of Eleutheria were
so
desperate to believe
that
Sara committed suicide. Now
we
come back to our main concern:
her
death.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

Sara
walks towards the house. Behind him, Hernán starts his
car.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
That
evening, Mister Sousa brought
her
back to Sir Weyden's house
about
eight thirty. She crossed a
small
garden, and encountered the
murderer,
someone she knew,
someone
unable to harm her.

Sara
meets someone--a figure we don't see. She smiles. She
talks.

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
SPORTS CENTER. NIGHT

RICARDO
They
spoke for quite a while.
Several guests started to
leave,
but neither Sara nor her
murderer
wanted to be seen by them.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

Sara
is guided by a hand, under the tree.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
She
was guided to a chosen spot,
just
under the tree.

From
the tree, the rope descends very slowly.

Up
in the tree, among the branches, a dark figure emerges.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
(continuing)
An
accomplice who was already
waiting
in the tree, lowered the
rope
just over Sara's head...

A
pair of hands--with gloves, caress Sara's face. She smiles.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
(continuing)
All
of a sudden, she--for she was
a
woman, pulled the rope and
placed
it around Sara's neck...

The
hands do so.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
(continuing)
The
accomplice jumped onto the
ground,
raised Sara's body into
the
air, and tied the rope onto a
lower
branch.

The
accomplice does so.

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
SPORTS CENTER. NIGHT

Ricardo
displays the first page of a newspaper--where Mr.
Baltimore
shakes hands with the Bolivian President.

RICARDO
As
we all know, Mr. Baltimore has
recently
signed an agreement to
drill
oil in South America,
in
Bolivia, a country torn apart
by
civil war. It is a pity
Europeans
care so little about
third-world
misery. Only a
disaster,
an earthquake, a flood
or
a coup d'état can bring it to
our
attention.
(pause)
Sara
Baltimore, nonetheless,
became
interested in Bolivian
politics.
Mister Sousa
introduced
her to Mrs. Bogle,
who
is with us tonight.

He
looks at Mrs. Bogle. He shows her the page.

RICARDO
(continuing)
Do
you remember Sara's opinion on
her
father's business in Bolivia?

MRS.
BOGLE
Yes.

Whispers.
Mr. Baltimore breathes deeply. Mrs. Bogle looks at
Tracy.

MRS.
BOGLE
(continuing)
She
told us she was never going to
allow
her father to sign an
agreement
with the Bolivian
government.

Whispers
and exclamations. People look at both Mr. Baltimore
and
the Bolivian Politician.

RICARDO
May
we know why?

MRS.
BOGLE
Sara
wanted to share the profits
of
her father's company--she
wanted
to build hospitals and
schools
in the poorest regions of
Bolivia.

Whispers
and exclamations.

RICARDO
Sara
Baltimore! An idealist who
compromised
the interests
of
her own family.

He
approaches the Bolivian politician.

RICARDO
(continuing)
But
now she is dead, and Mr.
Baltimore,
in control of his
investments,
has been able to sign
that
agreement with the Bolivian
government.

MR.
BALTIMORE
I
loved my daughter! You have gone
too
far!

RICARDO
You
didn't murder her, Sir,
although
you might have whished her
repentance. Now that Sara is gone Lady
Weyden
will surely inherit your fortune.

He
looks around.

MR.
BALTIMORE
(to
Zayed)
Inspector!
You must stop this
performance
at once. This foreigner…

Mr.
Baltimore can not speak. He falters. Zayed guides him
into
a chair.

Ricardo
looks at the faces of the spectators.

RICARDO
The
story of Cain and Abel has
happened
once again in Cheshire.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
ROAD IN FRONT OF SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

An
airplane lands on the ground, beside the road. Tracy and
Sir
Weyden come out of the airplane. They wear black clothes.
Sir
Weyden carries a rope.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
Sara's
death was carefully
planned.
Sir and Lady Weyden knew
Sara
was going to return home that
night.
They registered at their
hotel
and stayed in a bungalow, a
solitary
house next to an
abandoned
golf course, now covered
by
bushes and trees. In other
words,
the ideal place to hide an
airplane
and to fly back home.

They
cross the street and enter into the house.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

Sir
Weyden climbs up the tree. Tracy looks at him.

(V.O.)
They
had the perfect alibi...

Sound
of steps. Tracy hides in the shadows. She sees Mrs.
Lawn
leaving the place.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
ROAD IN FRONT OF SIR WEYDEN'S HOUSE. NIGHT

From
the tree, Sir Weyden sees a Mercedes in front of the
house.

Hernán,
visibly upset, gets out of the car and opens Sara's
door.

Sara
gets out.

HERNAN
We
can work things out. Why don't
we
go to my apartment?

SARA
I
promised my father and Petra not
to
leave them by themselves
tonight.

HERNAN
Fine.

SIR
WEYDEN
(whispering)
Tracy!

Tracy,
seated on the ground, opens her eyes. She watches
Sara,
who approaches her.

Behind
her, the car leaves.

Tracy
approaches her.

TRACY
Sara!

Sara
smiles.

CUT
TO:

EXT.
NORTH WALES HOTEL BUNGALOW. DAY

A
small airplane lands.

Sir
Weyden and Tracy get out and push it towards the bushes.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
Once
the crime was perpetrated,
both
murderers returned to their
nest
of complicity. Two greedy
fellows,
only able to love each
other!

CUT
TO:

EXT.
CHESHIRE'S GARDEN. DAY

Gabrielle,
Rachel, and Ricardo walk in a huge garden.

RICARDO
(V.O.)
The
airplane was temporarily
hidden
on a tract of land, nearby.
One
week later, Sir Weyden went to
pick
it up.

An
airplane crosses the sky. Rachel greets him with her
hands.

RACHEL
That's
Sir Weyden, back to his
home.

BACK
TO SCENE:

INT.
SPORTS CENTER. NIGHT

Mr.
Baltimore looks at Tracy.

TRACY
You
are wrong, Tico.
Sir
Weyden—he loves me.

RICARDO
No,
Tracy. You only possess each other—a crude feeling no one can
call love.

TRACY
(upset)
I
was never interested in my
sister's
fortune. Tell them,
Daddy!
I never got along with my
sister,
but... It was Sir Weyden's
idea.

RICARDO
And
Doctor Knox? He overheard your
plans
to murder Sara!

TRACY
No!

RICARDO
Or
perhaps he didn't. But you were
afraid.
So you decided to get rid
of
him. You gathered false proofs
to
send him to prison, where Sir
Weyden,
your husband, hired an
inmate
to cut his throat--It
happened
minutes before we were
able
to talk to Doctor Knox!

TRACY
We
hired Doctor Knox to work for
us;
he was our dentist...
(she
sees the stern
look
of Mr.
Baltimore)
But
he betrayed us! Daddy paid you
twenty
thousand pounds, Tico! Tico!
Why?

She
draws out a gun from her purse and points it at to
Ricardo.
Mr. Baltimore slaps her in the face. She drops
her
arm.